No more KN95 to be handed out at Manitoba Liquor Marts and casinos

A file photo of a Liquor Mart.

Manitoba's provincial government will no longer be distributing KN95 masks at Liquor Marts and casinos.

On Wednesday, the province said the program closed in early January. While some locations may have remaining masks that they are still distributing, the province said Liquor Marts and casinos will no longer receive shipments to hand out to the public.

This comes as the province plans to end its mask mandate on March 15.

Dr. Brent Roussin, the chief provincial public health officer, said while the mask mandate is on its way out, that doesn't mean people have to stop wearing them.

"Manitobans can choose to wear a mask if they feel that makes them comfortable and reduces their risk," he said, adding the province is still recommending masks be worn in high-risk settings.

"There are many public health recommendations that significantly benefit individuals' health and lower their risk of numerous illnesses. They are just not mandated under a public health order."

He said the mask mandate was a move done by public health in extreme circumstances. He said the province is now moving back to public health recommendations instead of mandates.

NO DECISION YET ON CITY MASK RULES: BOWMAN

Mayor Brian Bowman said the city has not yet decided if it will do away with its own mask mandate.

Currently masks are required to be worn in all City-operated facilities or using Winnipeg Transit or Winnipeg Transit Plus. Bowman said the city's mask mandate has been in place since August 2020.

"We have in the past gone above and beyond when it came to masks," he said. "We have done it in the past. When the provincial government lifted the mask mandate, we maintained it."

He said it is one way to mitigate risk to residents and staff in facilities and transit buses.